Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.
Br J Dev Psychol. 2021 Jun;39(2):269-281. doi: 10.1111/bjdp.12357. Epub 2020 Oct 27.
Older adults experience age-related cognitive declines and often feel as if the severity of these declines is out of their control. Recent research suggests, though, that control beliefs may be related to less age-related declines. The aim of the current study was to investigate cognitive domain-specific control beliefs and the link between those cognitive control beliefs and cognitive functioning among a nationwide sample of adults (N = 3,670), as well as to explore whether cognitive control beliefs moderated the relationship between age and cognitive functioning.
The aims were addressed using data from the national Midlife in the United States study (MIDUS II). Cognitive functioning was assessed using the Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone (BTACT), and cognitive control beliefs were assessed with the Personality in Intellectual Aging Contexts (PIC) Inventory Control Scales.
Regression analyses revealed that adults with higher control beliefs demonstrated better cognitive functioning. Moderation analyses indicated cognitive control beliefs moderated the relationship between age and executive functioning, but not the association between age and episodic memory.
Results suggested that the relationship between age and executive functioning was weaker at high levels of cognitive control beliefs. Future research should establish the directionality of the effect between cognitive control beliefs and cognition and investigate the association between control beliefs and cognition in samples at higher risk for substantial cognitive decline, including the oldest-old.
老年人会经历与年龄相关的认知能力下降，并且常常感到这些下降的严重程度超出了他们的控制。然而，最近的研究表明，控制信念可能与较少的与年龄相关的下降有关。本研究的目的是调查认知领域特定的控制信念，以及这些认知控制信念与全国范围内成年人样本（N=3670）认知功能之间的联系，并探讨认知控制信念是否调节了年龄与认知功能之间的关系。
本研究使用来自美国中年生活研究（MIDUS II）的数据来实现这些目标。认知功能使用电话版成人认知简短测试（BTACT）进行评估，认知控制信念使用智力老龄化背景下的人格（PIC）量表进行评估。
回归分析显示，控制信念较高的成年人表现出更好的认知功能。调节分析表明，认知控制信念调节了年龄与执行功能之间的关系，但与年龄和情景记忆之间的关联没有调节作用。
结果表明，在认知控制信念较高的水平下，年龄与执行功能之间的关系较弱。未来的研究应该确定认知控制信念与认知之间的效应的方向性，并在认知衰退风险较高的样本中，包括最年长的老年人，研究控制信念与认知之间的关联。
